Hearing what Evie said, Ivan stood there, stunned. His mind raced, trying to process the situation. His sister ate the egg, the only thing that separates the difference between the past weeks from yesterday. And now, it’s gone.
Ivan remained silent, and decided to grab the milk in the fridge instead. Pouring the drink in the glass, Evie noticed her mistake, seeing her brother’s sad expression.
“I will buy you two eggs later. My bad.” Evie apologized, her voice filled with regret.
It was my mistake. I should have remembered that I placed the egg on top of the fridge yesterday. He realized it wasn’t his sister’s fault to begin with.
“Don’t worry, I was just surprised. Are you sure you’ll buy the two eggs?” he responded, trying his best not to dwell on it any longer.
She nodded her head two times, responding to her brother. “I will cook you up a good scrambled egg later.”
“Is this a free meal or not?”
“I bet you don’t want to know.” She replied.
“I guess,” Ivan stood up, finishing the last sip of the milk drink. “I will head to my room, call me if you’re ready to cook for me.” He looked at Evie. “For free?”
“For free.” She immediately responded.
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” He smiled, as he headed back to his room.
… … …
-yawn- “What time is it?” Ivan woke up again, his eyes struggling to focus as he reached for his phone beside the bed.
The phone displayed: [ 11:07 AM ]
Almost twelve, that was a long sleep. He slept for about 3 hours.
The sunlight already touched his skin, and the room felt hotter as it approached noon, indicating that he had slept too much.
“So hot…” Ivan muttered, feeling drops of sweat forming not only on his face but also on his back and chest.
Without wasting any time, he stood up and headed to the living room. Compared to his room, the living room was much cooler.
With a stand fan turned on, he sat on the couch, his body spread out and his head tilted back, displaying a satisfied and relaxed expression. “Ahhh… This is it.”
“Now that’s a relaxed expression.” Evie remarked, seeing her brother lying down in what appeared to a be lazy position.
“Well, there’s not much to do.”
“You’re right,” She replied. “Let’s eat together, you don’t want to miss the eggs.”
“Right, let’s eat.” Ivan said as he stood up and headed towards the kitchen, where he saw a large plate of scrambled eggs waiting for them.
“Looks good,” he commented with a smile.
“That’s a given, we’re talking about me,” Evie teased.
“Then a taste test is a must,” Ivan replied, grabbing utensils and setting the table.
They both took a seat at the kitchen table. As they ate the scrambled eggs, a comfortable silence settled between them.
… … …
With nothing else to do, Ivan finds himself wandering around the village. Fortunately, the sun is hiding behind the clouds, so it’s not too hot outside at the moment.
Unlike the past few weeks, when he felt an uncontrollable urge to go outside and walk in the morning, but today his mind is clear. There’s no compulsion driving him out.
“Looks like I managed to get a pass on the next day,” he muttered, only now realizing he hadn’t suffocated or died the previous night. He had escaped the cruel, ever-repeating day of April 18th.
[ April 19th, 2022 3:21 PM ]
His phone confirmed it: it was indeed April 19th. He had successfully made it through. It had taken him 14 days to finally escape.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“It seems like there is an end to suffering,” he muttered, looking at the vast field of grass where no duck could be seen anymore.
She’s gone, and somehow I managed to escape death for once. The sight of the duck was absent now.
Luckily, it’s Saturday, giving Ivan ample time to roam around. Missing yesterday’s class didn’t matter. What mattered most was that he had finally escaped death.
Ivan knew there was something strange about the duck itself. During the endlessly looping day, nothing changed except for the duck, which grew day by day. But now, it is gone.
Despite its disappearance, he was relieved. Finally, a day had come when he could believe that tomorrow would arrive.
× × × × × × × × × ×
“You sure you’re not going to eat dinner?” Ivan asked Evie.
“I’m sure, I don’t feel hungry at all,” Evie replied.
“It’s been three nights already. How come you don’t want to eat dinner?” Ivan asked, concerned about his sister’s lack of appetite.
“I don’t know exactly. It’s something I don’t understand myself. But don’t worry, I’ll eat breakfast tomorrow.”
-sigh- “You better be,” he responded.
For three nights now, Evie had skipped dinner. She didn’t understand it herself, but the feeling of hunger seemed to have vanished.
Ivan headed back to the kitchen, where their mother was waiting. “Is she still not hungry?” Lila asked.
“I don’t know. She’s been saying that for nights now. I don’t know what happened to her.”
“We should make her eat something, even just a little,” Lila suggested, worried about Evie.
“Not now, but I’ll try tomorrow.” Ivan replied.
“Okay, for now, let’s eat dinner.” Lila said.
They both started eating dinner, leaving behind Evie, who had once again skipped her meal. Ivan couldn’t help but glance occasionally at the empty seat, his concern for his sister worries him.
“Do you think this is just a phase?” Lila asked, her voice feels with worry as she took a bite of her food.
“I hope so.” Ivan replied, trying to reassure both himself and his mother. “But I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure she eats something tomorrow.”
They continued their meal in thoughtful silence, each lost in their own thoughts about Evie and what could be causing her sudden loss of appetite.
× × × × × × × × × ×
Six days had passed since Evie last ate dinner.
“Brother, don’t you notice something different about me?” Evie asked as she approached Ivan.
“What do you mean?” Ivan replied, confused.
“It’s about my body. I feel like I’ve changed.”
“Your body?” Ivan looked at her, trying to see if anything was different than usual.. “I don’t think so.”
“Really? I feel like I’ve gotten bigger these past few days.”
Ivan examined her more closely and realized she had indeed grown physically. “You’re kind of right. Did you gain weight or something?”
“Probably. I feel like I’ve put on some weight.”
“That’s odd. You’ve been skipping dinner for six nights now,” Ivan commented, puzzled by his sister’s unexpected weight gain.
“Yeah, it is strange.” Evie agreed. “These past few days of eating fewer meals, and yet, I’m gaining weight all of a sudden.”
Ivan frowned, his concern deepening. “Maybe we should talk to Mom about this. There might be something else going on.”
Evie nodded. “Yeah, maybe it’s a side effect of something. I haven’t been feeling hungry, but I haven’t felt sick either.”
“Let’s not take any chances.” Ivan said. “We should see a doctor if this continues.”
As they walked towards the kitchen to find their mother, Ivan couldn’t shake the feeling that something unusual was happening to his sister. He hoped it was nothing serious, but the mysterious changes in Evie’s body left him uneasy.
They found Lila in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. “Mom, we need to talk.” Ivan said, his voice was serious.
Lila looked up, concern immediately crossing her face. “What is it, Ivan? Is something wrong?”
“It’s about Evie. She’s been skipping dinner for six nights now, but she’s somehow gaining weight.” Ivan explained.
Lila turned to Evie, her worry deepening. “Evie, is this true? Have you noticed anything unusual?”
“I haven’t felt hungry at all, but I haven’t been sick either,” Evie explained. “I just feel… different than usual.”
-sigh- Lila sighed. “This isn’t something we should ignore. I think it’s best if we see a doctor tomorrow, just to be sure everything is okay.”
Ivan nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”
“Alright,” Lila said, her voice firm but gentle. “We’ll go first thing in the morning.”
As they finished cleaning up, they hoped that whatever was happening to Evie could be explained and treated.
× × × × × × × × × ×
The next morning, Ivan suddenly woke up by his mother’s piercing screams. Rushing to his sister’s room, he was met with a horrific sight… The bed was drenched in blood, and the sight of a familiar small creature is visible:
A Yellow Duckling sat on the bloody bed.
His mother, Lila, stood frozen in shock before collapsing to the floor. Ivan quickly scooped her up and carried her to her room, where he waited anxiously for her to regain consciousness. It took a while, but eventually, her eyes opened up, filled with confusion and terror.
Ivan’s mind raced as he tried to process what he had seen. Something terrible had happened to Evie, and the presence of the duckling made the situation even more confusing.
Without wasting another second, he sprinted back to his sister’s room to investigate further.
When he arrived, the duckling was gone. The only evidence of the strange occurrence was the blood-stained bed. Ivan’s heart pounded in his chest as he realized that something horrible happened.
Did she become a duckling? Ivan thought to himself. It was an absurd idea, something that defied all logic, yet it was the only explanation that came to mind in the middle of his panic and confusion.
Desperate for answers, Ivan searched the room for any clue as to what might have happened. The room felt empty without Evie’s presence, and the blood made it worse. He knew he needed to find out the truth, no matter how impossible it seemed.
He returned to his mother’s side, her face pale and scared. “Mom, we need to figure out what happened to Evie,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.
Lila nodded weakly, her eyes filled with tears. “Evie? Who’s that?” What?
“Huh!?” Ivan exclaimed, startled at what he heard.
Lila looked at him, her expression filled with confusion. “Who’s Evie?” she asked.